Canada geese rescued from Terra Nova FPSO

One of two Canada Geese rescued from the Terra Nova FPSO

Share this article

The Terra Nova Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel had some unusual visitors earlier this summer when two Canada Geese were found on the vessel’s helipad.

It is not uncommon for birds to land on the FPSO; however, they are usually fish-eating seabirds that live off the bounties of the ocean and the FPSO is just a stop for them.

Canada Geese do not normally travel that far from land, so personnel safely removed the birds from the flight deck and transported them onshore to ensure their survival.

Suncor is authorized to handle, collect and transport seabirds, via permits issued by Environment Canada’s Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS). But because Canada Geese are not considered seabirds, they do not fall under CWS’s jurisdiction, making them the responsibility of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

The geese were sent to the province’s designated wildlife reserve at the Salmonier Nature Park (SNP), located in Holyrood, Newfoundland and Labrador.

Trudy Wells, East Coast’s environmental advisor, contacted Ralph Jarvis, manager of the nature park, for advice on transporting the geese to the reserve.

The geese were safely placed in designated bird boxes and flown to St. John’s via helicopter. Trudy then transferred them to the SNP technician for transport to the facility, less than 24 hours from the initial sighting of the two birds on July 7.

“The geese are in good condition and are candidates for release,” says Ralph. “We are grateful and impressed with the way the offshore companies effectively and humanely deal with animals on the platforms. Thank you to Suncor for your work on this.”

Trudy adds, “It’s always a pleasure to be involved in a rescue of stranded birds that would otherwise most likely succumb to the elements. A big thanks to the team involved from Suncor.”